The King's New Adventure
by Courtney Beatty
Summary: Chapter 1  When Ron is hit with a deadly curse Harry is forced to think about a world without him.  Chapter 2  What happens after.
1. Chapter 1

He was their king, their heart, their soul. In an ironic way it made sense that he was the first to go. It was life testing Harry yet again, pushing him to his limits, seeing how far he could bend before he breaks. Ron was the first good person life gave Harry, of course he would be the first one it would take away after so many years of happiness.

The small bedroom was full of loved ones. Rose occupied one corner with her new husband, Scorpius. She was crying loudly into his shoulder while he rubbed her belly, swollen with the grandchild that Ron would never meet. Hugo stood next to his mother by the bed. His face was blank, as if he couldn't quite process what was happening. Hermione, on the other hand, was surprisingly calm. As Harry watched her she walked over to Ron's bed and sat down beside him, cradling his hand in hers. When she looked up at Harry she was smiling.

A sudden wave of anger rushed through Harry. How dare she be so calm? Didn't she understand? Ron was about to leave again and this time no ball of light could lead him back home to them.

His anger drained away at the thought of Ron leaving. It didn't seem real. He had experienced so much heartbreak and death in his life, but it had always been so sudden. The only death he had had time to contemplate had been his own, but somehow this was worse. He wasn't the one leaving, his best friend was. And he would be left with a peace of himself missing forever.

Its not like he hadn't had time to think about it, he had known this was coming as soon as Ron had taken that curse for him. Maybe it was something you couldn't just accept. If only he had been faster, he could have pushed Ron out of the way and taken the curse that was meant for him. Maybe if he had been more careful the wizard they were escorting to Azkaban wouldn't have broken free in the first place. But he hadn't been quick and he hadn't been careful and now no amount of fretting or regretting would fix Ron. Still...it was all his fault and he would have to live with it.

It had been a slow death, the curse that was killing Ron was similar to the one Dumbledore had suffered with before his death. It was more secretive though, for a few weeks they hadn't even known anything was wrong - then the pain hit. Ron said he was thankful for this, the healers had taken away all the pain and he got the chance to say goodbye. And eat chicken. Lots and lots of chicken.

Harry felt weak all of a sudden and only Ginny's hand in his kept him from falling to his knees. The last few days had been agonizing. The curse had finally taken effect and Ron had taken a turn for the worse. Ron's condition seemed to be directly related to Harry's control of his emotions. They would jump from anger to fear to a hopelessness so strong he couldn't understand how it didn't kill him. But he had so far managed not to cry. He would not have his last memories with Ron blurred by tears.

The room had been quiet for awhile now. The past few hours had been horrible. They had stood around, taking comfort in each other as family and friends paraded in and out. George had been the worst, just an hour before he had to be escorted out because he was crying so hard he couldn't breath. The rest of the Weasley brothers left soon after, being unable to take it. Ron had joked with them and brushed off their tears, but Harry could tell it was making him uncomfortable. He was the one with the emotional range of a teaspoon, after all.

They all knew they only had a few hours left. Ron's voice had gotten weaker and weaker as he said his goodbyes to his children. The only ones that he hadn't said goodbye to was the trio. There seemed to be some sort of unspoken agreement that they would wait until the very end. Ron turned his head from Hermione's face to Harry's and he knew. It was time. His gut fell as Ron looked to Scorpius. When Rose had first brought him home Ron's anger was unbelievable, but over the years a bond had formed between the two.

"All this depression is making me hungry. Can you take Rose and Hugo and grab me some chicken son?" His voice was little more than a whisper. Scor nodded and grabbed Rose by the hand. On her way out she bent down to kiss her daddy's forehead one last time. "You take care of that kid sweety, don't let it marry a pureblood." He winked at her and faced his sons. "And you take care of her, both of you."

Hugo managed a weak nod but Scor's voice was filled with determination when he said, "Always." Harry was filled with the sudden manic urge to laugh. If only Scor knew the legacy behind that word. But taking a look at Scor's face, he had no doubt that Scor would live up to that legacy and he knew by the look on Ron's face that he knew it to.

As the kids closed the door behind them, Ron shook his head. "She did good for herself, that one." His attention turned to Ginny, who was trying to keep a brave face even though she clearly wanted to give into her tears. Harry was reminded of his seventeenth birthday, when he realized exactly how strong she was. "You did good to."

She let go of Harry (who had to rely on the wall at this point to keep him standing upright) and took her turn at her brothers side. She took hold of the hand not claimed by Hermione and squeezed it. "I love you, evil git." Her voice broke on the last word. Shaking her head violently, she gave his hand a final squeeze and nearly ran out of the room.

Ron watched her go with a small smile on his face, "Mental, that one." He turned to Harry. "If you don't get her through this I will haunt you for the rest of your pathetic life." His voice was growing stronger, almost as Harry's heart had seemed to grow stronger in those moments he prepared to die.

"You know, I might not mind that." It felt weird, their usual playful banter, underlined with heartbreak and seriousness. He pushed off the wall and filled the spot on the bed Ginny had just vacated, taking Ron's hand just as she had and uniting the golden trio for the last time. It was about time he accepted it, his best friend and partner in crime was going to die and there was nothing he could do about it.

Ron looked to their joined hands with a smirk. "Going sentimental on me, are you?" but he squeezed Harry's hand back all the same.

Hermione shook her head and let out a choked laugh, "Boys," she muttered. Of course that set them all to laughing. Harry wished he could freeze this moment, take a time turner, and live in it over and over again. He didn't want the clock to tick one second closer to a world without Ron. But that wasn't possible, and Ron's laughs soon turned to coughs.

"It was quite the little adventure, wasn't it?" Hermione asked as she held Ron's head so he could take a drink of water. The boys nodded their agreement and for a moment all three were swept up in memories of love and war and basilisk fangs.

"Quite the little life," Ron agreed.

Nothing more was said and nothing more was needed. After awhile Ron closed his eyes and Hermione curled up beside him. Harry watched as she ran her hand through his hair. Age had streaked the red with silver. Harry remembered the first time the invading color had made an appearance. Ron had tried to charm it back and had accidentally turned the whole thing hot pink. Unable to face Hermione he had come to Harry for help.

Harry chuckled despite himself and Hermione looked up at him. She was still smiling, despite the tears running down her face and Harry suddenly understood. This wasn't the end, this was just a new beginning. Like Dumbledore had said, "Death is just the next great adventure." After all these years Harry had almost forgotten. Ron was about to see Fred again, as well as Remus and Tonks. And he was about to meet Harry's parents. Harry knew they would approve of his choice of best friend.

Suddenly Harry realized that Ron's hand had gone cold in his and Hermione had her arms wrapped around Ron's neck, sobbing into his shirt. Harry dragged his eyes away from her and brought them to his friends face, a face that was peaceful and even in death wore a smile. Harry felt himself smiling to because knew without a doubt that the king had traded his crown for a halo. 


	2. The Come and Go Room

The last thing Ron remembered was Hermione's face and the feel of her hand in his. He had been so tired, he knew what was going to happen next, he was going to die, but it was okay. He had lived a full life, if not very long one, and he was going to see Fred again. The thought put a simle on his face, he missed Fred. So he drank his fill of Hermione's face and closed his eyes. Sirius had been right when he told Harry death was quicker and easier than falling asleep.

When he woke up he was surprised to find himself in the room of requirement as it had been when Dumbledore's Army had been forced to stay in it. Light came from nowhere and yet everywhere, the air itself seemed to glow. He looked down at himself and was even more surprised to find himself in full Hogwarts robes, tattered from being handed down from brother to brother. He reached up to feel his face and found that it to had returned to his Hogwarts days, free of wrinkles and scars gained from years of hard auror work.

After examining himself he took a closer look around the room. It looked exactly like it did on the final day of the Wizarding war. Bags and a good amount of owl feathers littered the floor as if Dumbledore's army had just vacated it. The only difference was that there was only one door and one hammock. As if by some instinct he knew that the door would lead him on.

With Fred on his mind he headed toward that door, he had so much to tell him. He was just about to turn the handle when he realized something was...wrong. He felt incomplete, as if a huge part of him was missing and he knew he couldn't go on without it.

He backed away from the door and took a seat on the hammock, it was strange that there was only one. What could he possibly be missing? What was required to move on?

Time was strange here, he had no idea if he had been dead 10 seconds or 10 years when his mind started drifting. He looked down and was surprised but pleased to see a small pile of basilisk fangs. He grinned, remembering that day in this place. This was where the war started to change, where they gathered before the battle, where he had first kissed Hermione and started that chapter of his life with her. Hermione, his light, the other piece of his soul. He missed her already.

Something clicked inside his head. That was it! What was required to pass on. You had to have an intact soul and he was still missing part of his. It seemed so obvious now. How could he go on without her? He settled down in the hammock. He hoped she took her time because he would wait for her. He was always waiting for her. 


End file.
